An English Rose: A Sequel to A Thorned Rose
by Mercs2Girl
Summary: **THIS IS THE SECOND PART IN THE "A THORNED ROSE: THE SERIES"** Jennifer Mui goes home to England, leaving a note for her new love interest, James Holt, to go to England as well. When he arrives, trouble is in the air...
1. Hassle in London

**AN ENGLISH ROSE**

~~Sequel to **A Thorned Rose**~~

**A.N: Originally, this Mercenaries Fan Fiction was written by lilmickey2008 and I asked and he said that I could write a sequel to it. So, here it is. ENJOY!**  
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CHAPTER 1:

_Location: London, England, 12:00 PM GMT_

"Jennifer?" James Holt called out across the room. "Jen?" He called again, venturing farther into Jen's penthouse apartment. All James had been given was a post-it note left on his pillow at the military hospital last night.

* * *

_'Meet me in London, in my penthouse apartment of building A, 573 Wellington Blvd._

_I'll be waiting for you.'_

_-Jennifer-

* * *

_

James had been previously wounded in the heat of rescuing Jennifer from Song's evil clutches. He had literally taken not one, but two bullets for her. When he had woken up, he was in the A.N.'s military hospital. He had been lucky: the bullets barely missed his vital organs. After a while, Jennifer had come back to his room. And when James had thought he was done for, she gave him the surprise of his life: a sexy hospital bed romance. The next day, James had been up and out of bed for a walk to stretch his legs. When he returned to his room, he immediately noticed the yellow piece of square paper, covered in a neat, cursive font.

Now he was standing in front of her apartment door. It was left slightly ajar. When no reply came to James, he took out his side arm from his holster in his jacket, loaded it, and cocked it as quietly as he could. He cautiously opened the door all the way, nosing his gun around the wooden frame. He continued onwards into the little kitchenette. A carton of orange juice had been left out on the marble counter along with a glass half full that had remnants of the pulp on the sides. Someone had taken a sip of it. James then pressed on towards what looked like the master suite with an attached bathroom. Again, the door was left ever so slightly open. This could be dangerous territory, thought James, if Jen was playing a mere joke on him. He continued on inside. Jennifer's room had a seductive shade of burgundy painted on her walls. The bed was not made. The sheets matched the room in a slightly lighter shade. The curtains were closed, leaving the room in barely visible light. James proceeded around the room. It was empty. He went towards the bathroom. This time, for once, the door was shut. James slowly turned the door handle.

"Jennifer?" He whispered.

"Mmmmmhmhmhmh!" Jen was tied and gagged in the bathtub. James rushed forward and frantically took the gag out of her mouth.

"Bloody hell! It's a trap! Get out! Now!" She yelled. James stood in shock for a moment. When he turned around, he felt the cold barrel of a shot gun meet his neck.

"You thought you could get away with this, eh? Not this time."


	2. Inquisitive Neighbour

A Thorned Rose: The Sequel

CHAPTER 2:

"Who are you?" James asked, his voice strained.

"That is not relevant." The man answered, his voice heavily accented.

"What do you want from us?" James was angry now, even though he still had the gun pointed at his throat. The barrel shifted slightly farther up his neck, towards his chin. James gulped and his back stiffened. Jen was still keeled over in the bathtub. Her hands were still bound together with a thick, white rope. The corded rope had already rubbed her wrists so much that they had become red and painful. The taste of the gag still lingered on her tongue. It was a dry, oily taste that made Jen want to throw up.

Suddenly, she heard more footsteps outside in the living room. The man with the gun obviously heard them too as he turned slightly around to look out the door.

"Jennifer?" Another man's voice called out. The gunman fully turned away from James and looked right out into the bedroom. James took this opportunity to get himself and Jen out of this situation. He kicked the man with his steel-toed boots to the knee. The man buckled over, letting off a shot from his gun. The bullet fragments sprayed all over the bathroom, some hitting James on the back of his neck. The gunman fell, his weapon sliding across the marble tiled floor. James kicked him again, this time to the groin. The man rolled up into a ball, in the fetal position on the floor. James grabbed both his own sidearm and the man's shot gun off the floor. Then he went over and untied Jennifer.

"Is everything okay in here?" The voice called out again. This time, a man's stubbly face appeared around the door.

"Marcus?" Jennifer called out. The man walked inside. He was middle age, thirty-eight at the most. James looked back and forth between him and Jen. Jen was still shaking from the fact she or James could have been killed.

"God, what the bloody hell happened in here?" Marcus said, looking past James and eyeing the man on the floor. James in the mean time had tied him up with his own rope and gagged him.

"It's a long story." Jen said. She couldn't seem to keep a straight eye at neither James nor Marcus. James reached for her hand. But Jen ignored him. James looked back and forth between Jen and Marcus. He sensed these two had a past that he did not know about. A past that James sensed was fairly intimate.

A.N. I know these chapters are fairly short, however, they end at good cliffhangers. so ha.


	3. A New Face, An Old Story

CHAPTER 3:

"So, who's this?" Marcus asked, staring down at James. Marcus was even taller than James, standing at around 6' 5".

"This is James Holt, a co-worker of mine." Jen replied. '_A co-worker?'_ James thought, _'Is that what she's calling me now?'_ James stepped forward and held out his hand to shake Marcus'.

"Marcus Dane, a freelance mercenary." Marcus said with an air of arrogance. James let go of Marcus' hand. _'So that's how Jennifer knows him. Funny that he lives across the hall from her.'_ James looked at him again, trying to see what Jen saw in this man as 'attractive'. He was tall, had dark brown hair, and really blue eyes. He had a large, vertical scar running down his face and overall, he looked gruff.

"So, Jennifer, what happened?" Marcus asked. James felt like he was trying to interrogate her or something. James wanted to intervene and simply tell this guy off, but surprisingly, Jen started telling him.

"I was in the kitchen, having a glass of orange juice, when the doorbell rang. I went to go answer it, assuming it was James here. But when I opened the door, a heavy boot kicked me in the gut and sent me flying. The next thing I knew, I was tied and gagged and in the bathtub. The man had gone around, leaving the doors partially opened, to entice James into walking into the man's trap. And then James came in and kicked his ass and saved us both." Jen looked admiringly at James. James felt a bit of relief go through his mind as he smiled back at her. Jen stepped forward, leading the two of them out of the bathroom and bedroom, and out into the living room.  
"As long as you're okay." Marcus said, taking a seat on one of the living chairs. James took a seat on the loveseat, hoping Jen would sit next to him. Jen however, didn't. She sat off to herself on another single seat chair. James felt the awkwardness take over the room like a flood of water.

"So…" James began nervously. "How do you two know each other?"

"Well, we…"

"We were partners once. Back before the whole thing with Song occurred. I believe we first met in school if I'm not mistaken."

"So you've known each other for a long time I take it then?" James felt his stomach creeping up into his throat. If this guy was romantically involved with Jen, he was screwed. This guy looked like he could eat average men for breakfast. He also knew Jen for a very long time. In fact, he probably knew more about her.

"Yes, since our graduating year. He was my date for prom, and then we both went and signed up to be in the army, and then I left for MI6. Eight years later, I bumped into him on a mission in Dakar as a mercenary and we decided to work together for a brief period of time. Funnily enough when I returned home from our recent mission in Korea, I found out he was my neighbour." Jen managed to explain.

"Indeed. Well, I believe we should perhaps get rid of your unwanted attacker?" Marcus asked, standing. Jen shrugged her shoulders. James and Jen followed him back into the bathroom.

"Bloody Hell!" Marcus shouted. James rushed in beside him. Where the man had been, lay the white corded rope in a pile, the gag beside it, and the window was open. The man had escaped.


	4. Decisions Decisions Decisions

CHAPTER 4:

Escaped put it mildly. He had jumped out the window, not realising that there was no balcony to catch him. His body lay on the pavement twenty stories down, covered in blood and other bodily matter. A crowd of people were gathered around along with two police cars and four police officers.

"Damn." Jen muttered under her breath. She knew she would have to tell the police to "aid" their investigation. Otherwise, it would begin to look rather suspicious.

Eventually, the police began asking the people who lived on the top floors of the apartment complex if they had seen anything. Jen knew this was coming but she decided to lie. She did not want any involvement with the police, especially considering who she thought she may be dealing with. Jen simply said that she was asleep when she heard a woman scream outside. It woke her up and she looked out her window to find a man on the concrete. The officers believed her and soon left her alone. She added to the effect of being 'asleep' by changing into pyjama bottoms and a tank top. James could hardly keep his eyes off of her. James also noticed that Marcus couldn't seem to tear himself away either.

"Well, I should get back to my own apartment; make it look like I wasn't even in the building at the time." Marcus said, grabbing his jacket off the dining room table. Jen simply half-smiled at him as he left. She shut and bolted the door behind him.

"So," James began, crossing his arms. "Do you want to explain who this Marcus guy is and why he seems to look at you like he's seen you naked?"

"Why I never!" Jen turned angrily away from James, her back to him now, avoiding his eyes.

"Why are you then avoiding looking me in the eyes?" James took a step forward, his hand on her shoulder. Jen felt herself tense up at his touch. She stayed this way for a while, just breathing in and out. Then finally, she brought up her courage to turn around and tell James the truth.

"As I said previously, Marcus and I did know each other from school. In our last year, he asked me to be his date for prom. I said yes, simply because I had no one else to go with. Nothing romantic ever came out of that. Well…he did try to kiss me, but at that point I simply said no, and left. I never saw him until the following summer when I signed with Her Majesty's army. He was in my rank and in my regiment too. At first I thought it was a mere coincidence, but I found out through one of his friends that he still had a thing for me and he had to pull a lot of strings to be in my regiment. However, that did not worry me as I was an independent woman and did not need a man at that time. Being alone was a good thing for me. Then I was specifically selected by MI6 to work for them. And later on, around eight years or so after I stopped working for MI6 and had become a mercenary, I was working in Dakar." Jen took a breather. James slid his hand down her shoulder and he grasped for her hand. This time, she gladly took it. "Then I bumped into him. We reminisced and talked and he decided to be a little more…slow with his romantic advances. I…I didn't know what to feel or anything really. We had a brief…fling or whatever but I never considered it serious. He did however. But, I just…I did not reciprocate what he felt towards me and I feel bad now. I should have just told him that I did not have those feelings for him and he would have moved on. Then, a short while thereafter, I was hired by ExOps and I never saw him until I returned from North Korea to here. I was not expecting him to be alive, let alone my neighbour."  
"Oh…" James said. He didn't know what to say back to her. Instead he embraced her to his chest. Jen closed her eyes, breathing in his soothing scent. She knew she never ended it with Marcus properly, but back then she didn't think she was going to find someone like James and besides that, she thought Marcus had been dead all that time. Jen knew now that she had a very, very important, life-changing decision to make.


	5. Roses and Blood

CHAPTER 5:

When Jen finally pulled away from James' grasp, she couldn't help but stare into his eyes. "I want to say I love you, but I'm not sure I do." Jen whispered. She had taken the time spent in James' arms to think about her true feelings.

"What do you mean? Because if…"

"James, I wanted to talk to you here, that's why I left you the sticky note. I just did not expect some Russian guy to break into my house and take me captive and wait for you. I know our relationship is important, but right now, we've got bigger problems." James stepped back from Jen. He didn't know what to feel.

"Right, well…I think it's best if I stay at a hotel or something tonight and figure things out tomorrow." James went to grab his gun and leave.

"Wait! James! I…"

"Don't say it. Don't even say it Jennifer." James gave her a cold stare before he closed the door. Jen was left standing in the middle of her apartment. She couldn't move for the fact that she could barely comprehend what James had meant.

James continued down the hallway till the elevator. It took a few minutes for it to arrive. Finally, a ding sounded and the doors opened. Marcus was in the elevator, carrying a bouquet of roses. James glowered at him.

"Hello, didn't expect to see you here still." Marcus said, stepping out of the elevator.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James replied. He began seizing up Marcus, wondering if he could take him down and beat the arrogance out of him.

"Did my dear Jennifer not tell you?" Marcus was now standing in front of James. James was keeping his fists to his sides, still clenching them, being at the ready to punch the hell out of this guy if he had to.

"Tell me what?" James said through clenched teeth.

"That we had more than just a little…fling? That we picked up exactly where we left off when we met in Dakar? And again, I bedded her when she came back home from North Korea, did you know about that?" James had had enough. He lunged forward, striking his right fist against the taller man's nose. James felt nasal bones cracking underneath his knuckles. Marcus stepped back, blood pouring down his face and shirt.

"You little bitch!" Marcus roared as he went for James' throat. James ducked the grab, but Marcus caught the fake and grabbed James around the middle and started throwing punches into James' gut and a few odd ones to the head. James fought as hard as he could, but he couldn't get himself or his arms free of Marcus' tight grasp. Just when James thought he was going to pass out, he heard a door open and footsteps.

"Put him down!" Jen's shard voice called out. Marcus threw one last punch, right into the middle of James' rib cage. With the wind knocked out of him, James was dropped to a crumple on the floor, covered in Marcus' blood. Jen strode over. All James could see of her was her bare feet. "You pathetic brute! Let me guess, you got a little overprotective, didn't you?" Jen said accusingly.

"He started it, I mean look at my nose." Marcus sniffled back some of the blood.

"What? James?" Jen kneeled down next to James. "James? James?" Jen gently moved his arm and got no response. She stared up at Marcus. "What the hell have you done to him?"


	6. A Choice and A Hospital Bed

CHAPTER 6:

"James, please, wake up!" James was drifting in and out of consciousness. He kept hearing Jennifer's voice go through his ears, but he was not able to respond to her. He also heard mixed bits of Marcus and Jen arguing with each other as well as other voices. Eventually, he felt himself being lifted onto a stretcher and going down the elevator and out into an ambulance.

When he woke up again, all he could see was a blur of a face, a face he recognised all too well. He felt his hand being held. He closed his eyes once more and when he opened them again, he could see clearly.

"Jennifer?" James croaked out.

"James, you're…you're alive. I…I'm so sorry." James felt a tear land on his face.

"I'm fine, just a little beat up, you know."

"You're not fine! You have a concussion and internal bleeding and…God you're alive." Jen collapsed on the bed beside James, her face buried under his arm. She started sobbing. James stroked her hair slowly. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared in the door way of James' room. He was holding a bag of ice to his face. He took a few steps inward.

"Go…away." James growled. Marcus continued forward anyway.

"Listen…" Marcus began. Jen stopped sobbing and turned around.

"Don't come any closer and shut up. You've already done enough. Do you think I honestly want you around? Are you that stupid?"

"Jennifer…I…"

"Don't call me Jennifer. It's Mui to you."

"But…"

"No, shut it and leave." Jen replied angrily. She wish she had some sort of weapon on her, anything really that could dispose of Marcus quietly. Unfortunately, she was still wearing her pyjamas. Marcus sighed and started walking away. But before he reached the door, he paused.

"Jennifer Mui, I know you're telling me to leave now, but I promise you, you won't be able to take your mind off of me, no matter what. I will always be in the back of your mind." Marcus finally left the room, leaving Jen and James to themselves.

"What is his problem?" James whispered.

"I do not know. He's not the same man I knew. Something's changed him. He used to be caring and only violent when he was working. I'm worried."

"Worried about what?" James asked.

"I have a feeling, call it women's intuition if you must, but I have a feeling he's connected to the man that broke in earlier."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, he has been living across from my apartment for two weeks. He could have very well found out when I was home and showed that man to the building and led him to my apartment."

"He could have, but I doubt it. I just think he has issues…" James said quietly, grasping Jen's hand.

"You could be right. I just, I feel so stupid for even thinking for a moment that I considered choosing him over you."

"We all make mistakes."

"I know, but…you could not possibly comprehend what I am feeling right now."

"Try me." James said with a flirty smile.

"I just, the mere thought that I actually considered seeing Marcus again makes me sick to my stomach. I feel so bad that he did this to you and I couldn't see just how much you…love…me." Jen felt her face blush and she swallowed back more tears as she leaned in and gave James a kiss. James lifted his hand and stroked his thumb back and forth across her soft cheek. She pulled back a moment later, but remained close to James' face. Their eyes locked, and Jen had the memory of the last time they were like this…which in fact was in a hospital bed. James was too hurt this time around to be committing to that much physical activity and they both knew it. So Jen kissed him again, the taste of his lips lingering on hers. Jen pulled away and laid down beside James. There she fell asleep, knowing she made the right choice.


	7. Dreamers, Lovers, and Liars

CHAPTER 7:

James woke up in the dead of night. Jen was sound asleep next to him. He had had a nightmare. Not of him getting beat by Marcus but of something darker and more disturbing. He was in some interrogation room, in which they had him tied to his chair. In front of him was Jen, tied up again on the floor. And there was another man, and in his hands was a large leather whip. James in his dream had struggled to stop the man from relentlessly beating Jen and before he woke, she looked like she was dead. James however calmed himself down and realised that Jen was still there in his arms, sleeping soundly next to him. His breathing relaxed and he stopped sweating. He pulled Jen as best he could closer to him and soon he fell back asleep.

Jen had also had a dream. A dream in which she and James left without a trace and moved to some warm tropical country where no one could find them. There they lived peacefully and got married. Jen felt herself smiling in her dream. But, before she awoke, she saw Marcus as well as the gunman who had broken in her apartment. They were both trying to get James. Jen however woke up before anything had happened.

"Way to put a damper on things." Jen muttered to herself quietly upon waking. She shook the remnants of the dream away and looked at James' calm face. It was still only six in the morning. Jen put her head back on his shoulder. James suddenly took her hand in his. "So, you're awake." Jen whispered directly in his ear.

"Yeah, I am. I have been for awhile." He replied.

"I love you."

"I love you too." James replied, stiffly planting a kiss on Jennifer's lips. He was still hardly able to move most of his body but he was glad he was at least able to kiss her. His head was throbbing with pain and his abdomen felt so sore, he felt like he could be sick if he moved the wrong way. Luckily, the doctors had given him decent pain medication. James was also planning to press charges against Marcus for assault. James figured his defence would be that even though he started the fight with a punch to Marcus' nose, his response was that Marcus urged him on by suggesting he was screwing around with James' girlfriend. James figured it would work out in his favour.

A while later, Jen left James to go get herself some food. She had to go to the cafeteria, which she was not looking forward to. However, the cafeteria food was not as bad as she was expecting it to be. Jen grabbed a turkey sandwich and a bottle of apple juice. She paid for it, and then found herself a seat at a table. As Jen began taking a bite into her sandwich, a familiar figure approached the table. Jen looked over her food to see Marcus, still with the bag of ice in his hand against his broken nose. Jen slowly put her sandwich down, completely avoiding his glaring eyes.

"Did I not tell you to leave me and James alone?" Jen said quietly, still without looking up.

"Je- er I mean Mui...please just listen to me."

"No. I'm done with you. Get over yourself, I've moved on." Jen looked up at the sorry sod standing in front of her.

"Mui, you're not moved on, I mean look at you. You're dating some like what, twenty-year old? He's a boy, I'm a man. There's a difference."

"Yeah and you just brutally attacked that 'boy'! What kind of 'man' does that?" Jen got out of her seat, and stood in front of Marcus.

"I…"

"Bloody right you don't know what to say you wretched bastard!" Jen yelled. People started turning round in their seats to see what was going on.

"How dare you!" Marcus roared, throwing his baggie of partially melted ice on the floor.

"How dare I what?" Jen retorted loudly. The cashier guy started walking towards the pair, at the ready to intervene if he had to.

"Insult me!" Marcus paused to pick up the bag of ice as his nose was still dreadfully painful. "I thought we had something between us. What ever happened to you after Korea?"

"Had something? Are you kidding me? Is that what you've said to all those other female mercenaries, that you've all had a little 'something'?"

"Blimey, no! I never!"

"Oh bollocks you didn't! I even saw you hitting on Fiona at one point!"  
"No I never!"

"LIAR!" Jen screamed.

"I am not a liar! I would never lie to you!"

"Oh really? Then why if we were so 'together' at the time that you tried coaxing Fiona into your tent bed?" Marcus looked in shock. "Oh yes, she told me. I guess you didn't know just how good of friends we were, did you?"

"Mui…I…"

"Oh I knew, I bloody well knew! You were a horrid cheating bastard! I was only in it to get some, and considering you were the only man around at the time, well, it was my only option."

"You bitch!" Marcus made a lunge for Jen. She quickly dived out of the tall man's grasp. She then round-house kicked him in the face, and then she gave him a sucker punch in between his legs. He fell down, and crawled into a ball.

"Don't ever come back and don't even think to mess around with me any longer." Jen gave him one last glance over her shoulder as she grabbed her lunch and left the cafeteria. The few people who were in the area gave Jen a round of quiet applause as she proceeded back to James' room.


	8. An Aussie in England

CHAPTER 8:

When Jennifer returned to James' room, she found him asleep again. She sat down in the corner chair and finished the remains of her sandwich. She drank down the juice and threw out her garbage. She then sat back down and watched James sleep. He looked fairly well for someone who could have been killed only twenty four hours ago. Jen suddenly felt her iPhone vibrating in her pants pocket. Not wanting to disturb James, she went into the attached bathroom and closed the door as softly as she could.

"Hello?" She whispered into her phone.

"Jen? Where the hell have you been?" It was good old Fiona.

"Look, a lot has happened. I need you to get out to London, to St. Mary's Hospital, room 3941."

"HOSPITAL?" Fiona shrieked.

"I'll explain later! Just get your bloody arse over here!"

"All right, all right. I'll be there by hopefully tomorrow or the next day. Wait, why are you whispering?"

"Just go!" Jen hissed angrily.

"All right, bye!" Fiona hung up. Jen sighed, shaking her head. Fiona would just have to be told in person. Jen walked back into the room. James was now awake.

"Oh, James, you're awake again."

"Yeah, I heard you talking to someone."

"I called Fiona...er rather she called me and I called her back. I told her to get out here so I could tell her what's been going on."

"I see." James replied with a crooked smile.

"What? What are you smiling at?" Jen brought her chair next to James' bedside.

"You realise you're still in your P.J's right?" Jen looked down, embarrassed. "Don't worry, it's…it's cute." James said, taking her hand again. He had grown accustomed to taking her hand when he wanted with having to worry about being harmed in any way, shape, or form.

A few days later, Fiona had finally arrived in England. She was waiting with her luggage for Jen to pick her up at the airport. She had brought as much as she could, technology wise with her. Fiona kept continuously checking her phone for any missed calls or texts and still, she had nothing. She had decided to drop working with ExOps again, simply because she enjoyed working freelance with Jennifer and she was sure James would like it too. Or so Fiona hoped. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate. Fiona opened it, and saw she had a text from Jen.

"_Coming to get you, sorry I'm late, had trouble finding my car keys."_

_Trouble finding her car keys? _Fiona thought. _Oh dear, what am I in for? _Fiona gathered her duffle bags and walked out to the pick up area where several taxis and busses were waiting. Fiona kept her eyes peeled for Jen in the driver seat of any car, considering she had no idea what kind of car Jen now owned. Suddenly, she heard a set of wheels screeching down the road. She prayed it wasn't Jen, but as the blue Mini-Cooper pulled up, she knew it was Jennifer. Fiona walked over to the car. Jen got out of the tiny automobile.

"Yeah, again, sorry for the wait. I could not remember for the life of me where I had left my keys when I left England for Venezuela. I thought for a moment I had lost them or they were stolen. But then I remembered: I left them in my safe. I don't know why I had forgotten that, but I guess I'm just tired." Jen pulled open the trunk of the mini and helped Fiona put her bags in.

"Since when did you own a Mini?" Fiona asked as she pulled open the passenger door. It was an older model, from 1997. It was electric blue, with the Union Jack on the roof. _Typical of Jen_, Fiona thought, as she sat down into the seat. Jen sat back into the driver's seat and turned the Mini on. Fiona knew Jen wasn't the greatest of drivers but she hoped Jen was able to drive like a normal person for once in her life and not get them into an accident.

"So, what's this about being in a hospital?" Fiona asked.  
"Obviously, it's not me." Jen replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Well it could have been, I just…wait, James is with you, isn't he?"

"Oh Fiona, you are terribly slow at getting things. Yes, he's been here the whole time! How challenged are yo- GET THE BLOODY HELL OFF THE ROAD!" Jen yelled at a pedestrian who had crossed the street last second and was nearly hit by Jen. The man turned round and had a shocked look on his face. Jen kept driving on.

"You could have killed him!" Fiona pointed out.

"He should have looked." Jen retorted.

"I hate it when you drive." Fiona folded her arms and hoped that nothing else would happen like that. Fiona however, wanted to know what had been going on, but at the same time, she wanted Jen to be concentrated on her driving and nothing else. So, Fiona remained quiet and even pretended she was asleep for the time being.


	9. Fiona Senses Some Tension

CHAPTER 9:

Fiona finally looked up from the corner of her seat where she had been "sleeping" to see that they had pulled up to a hospital. Fiona sat up.

"About time you woke up. Let's go." Jen got out of the car. Fiona was leaving her main luggage in the car, but she brought her laptop bag with her. Jen led the way to the third floor of the hospital to James' room. A doctor that Jen recognised had just walked out of the room.

"How is he?" Jen asked.

"Doing better, Ms. Mui. I expect he shall be up and walking around by the end of the week." The doctor gave Fiona a nod as he continued on to the next patient's room.

"Up and walking? Jesus, what happened?"  
"You'll find out momentarily." Jen said, pushing open the door to James' room.

"You're back soon." James said with a smile.

"Yeah thanks to Jen's crazy ass driving and almost running over a guy." Fiona said in a huff, setting down her laptop bag in a chair. "All right, now that I'm here in this room, would you care to tell me what the hell is going on?" Jen took her seat and began explaining the incident with the gunman, who Marcus Dane was and what Marcus did to James and what James' present conditions were. "Holy crap you guys! You've been gone for a little over a week and all that has happened?" Fiona still found herself in shock.

"I realise that it is kind of bad, yes, but I need you to find out more on this Russian guy. Who was behind him, or rather who paid him to go after me and James and why?" Jen told Fiona.

"I'm on it." She replied, pulling her black laptop out of her bag. "So, you said this guy was Russian, right? He is probably involved with the Mafia." Fiona began typing away, investigating anything that came up.

Jennifer looked back over to James. She really wanted to kiss him again, but she felt she couldn't go through with it, now that Fiona was there. It would be far too awkward. Jen bit down on her lip, holding back her urge. James saw this, and he winked at her. For the time being, it suspended Jen of her desire.

"Hey Fiona, I believe you can get better Wi-Fi reception in the cafeteria." James suggested. Fiona looked up at him. James knew that the internet in the hospital was equal all around but he needed a pull factor to get Fiona to leave him and Jen alone.

"Really? Well, I'll go then. I'll come back when I find something." Fiona folded her laptop and walked out of the room. The moment the door lock clicked, Jen sprang out of her seat, leaned down, and kissed James. Suddenly, the door re-opened, but Jennifer and James took no notice whatsoever.

"I just forgot my..." Jen pulled back from James, gasping for breath. "Power cord. Well jeez, if you had wanted to do _that_, you could have said something. I knew sensed some sexual tension between you two. Good lord." Fiona muttered, leaving with the power cord to her computer. She at last left the pair alone. James lifted his eyebrows suggestively at Jen. She rushed back to James' side and put her lips back to his. They continued making out in this manner until Jen finally pulled herself back. James had successfully taken her breath away. She fell back into the bedside chair, slightly red in the face and panting. Jen finally knew now, just how passionately in love she was with the man she had originally thought she would come to hate. It was unlike her, but James had captured something in Jen that no other man had done before. James had never dreamed that he could have a woman like Jennifer; the Jennifer Mui, fall for a man like himself. He knew the future could be rough for them, but for Jen, he would do anything in the world for her.


	10. Sleeping Accommodations

CHAPTER 10:

_Three Weeks Later_

"James, you're sure you're clear to leave?" Jen asked, helping him out of bed.

"Yes, Jennifer, for the third time, the doctor said that my concussion was only minor and the scans showed that there was no internal bleeding of any kind. So yes, I am most definitely clear to go."

"Just double checking. Fiona told me she found something on our guy. She's crashing back at my apartment." Jen replied, grabbing her jacket off the bedside chair. James bent over to lace up his shoes. His eyes glanced over to Jen. She stared back down, and gave him a wink.

Later, after a short drive, James and Jennifer arrived back to her apartment.

"It's just us Fiona." Jen called out as she unlocked the door. Fiona was sitting in the kitchen at the island counter with her laptop. She looked up at the pair.

"All right, I've tracked down who your guy was. His name was Vladimir Labuzov. He was an ex-KGB agent turned freelance mercenary. Originally born twenty kilometres south of Moscow, he lived there for ten years then he moved to Canada for a while and then he returned to Russia. He's been in jail three times, twice for assault and once for manslaughter. Far as I know, he was hired by someone to assassinate you two."

"Wonderful." Jen said, filling a tea pot with water. She set it down over the stove and turned the burner on. The trio remained quiet for a moment until the kettle whistled. Jen poured herself a cup and stared down into the dark brown abyss of her tea. She became lost in her thoughts as she poured sugar and milk into it.

"So…to find out who hired him and why." James said, breaking the era of silence between them. He was sitting up straight in his chair. He was still a little stiff from his injuries but other than that he was fine.

"Oh, Jen, the postman was by, there's a letter for you." Fiona said.

"Who is it from?" Jennifer asked as she reached across the counter. Her arm brushed past James and their faces were mere inches apart. Fiona was still holding the letter up while reading off of her laptop. Jen took the envelope and she gave James a small, quiet kiss on the cheek. Jen sat back down with a grin on her face. She looked down at the letter: It had her name and address but no return address. Putting that aside she ripped it open and a piece of light blue paper fell out covered in a typed font.

_I am a wheelman,_

_I live in my car,_

_I know where you are, it's not very far,_

_I know how bad of a driver you are,_

_And if you need me, just remember_

_316R_

"Hmm, that's an interesting bit of fan mail." Jen set it down amongst her other parcels and had another cup of tea.

"What was it?" James had an inquisitive look on his face.

"A Fan poem I believe." Jen just brushed it aside as if it were nothing useful. James on the other hand thought it would be a serious thing but he felt he shouldn't bring it up to Jen.

A few hours had past, the three of them had done nothing all afternoon, and soon enough it was time for bed. James was not sure where he was supposed to sleep. Fiona had taken up the couch and he wasn't sure if Jen was comfortable sharing her bed with him. The last time they had to have shared accommodations was back in Korea and with there being only one bed, well, James had gotten the floor. As he approached Jen, she automatically answered his question by taking his hand and leading him into her room. She closed the door quietly, saying goodnight to Fiona on the way.

"So..." James stammered. Jen slowly closed the gap between them and James leaned down and kissed her. "So, I take it we can actually share a bed this time? I mean you have a nice hardwood floor but…" Jen stopped him mid-phrase by putting her finger over his mouth to shush him. James smiled and she turned and changed into pyjamas. James took off his t-shirt and dropped his jeans for his boxers. He slowly walked towards the bed which Jen had already gotten into. "This is…uh…"

"OH come on, just get your ass in here already!" Jen laughed.

"So that's how it is, is it?" James slid into the bed beside her. She immediately crawled up beside him, burying her head on his shoulder. He slid his arm around her shoulders and closed his eyes. James and Jennifer both fell asleep in each other's arms, both with smiles on their faces.


	11. An Unexpected Surprise

CHAPTER 11:

"So that was quite a nice night that I spent with you." Jen said in a flirty whisper into James' ear. They had just gotten back from a proper first date that had no gunfire or wounds or anything violent involved. Jen pulled away an inch and James kissed her again. "Shall we?" Jen asked, unlocking her apartment door. James followed Jennifer inside. The lights were still on. Jen figured Fiona still had to be awake, even though it was already 11:00pm. "Fiona?" Jen called out. The living room was empty. Fiona's laptop had been left on the table and it had gone into sleep mode, the little light flicking yellow. "Hmm…" Jen pondered as she took of her jacket and threw it down on a chair.

"Maybe she could be taking a shower or something?" James suggested. Jen shrugged.

"Well, whatever she's doing, I could care less, and I'm tired. It's not your fault, I'm just full of food and wine and…' Jen paused with an open smile. "And…" Jen was cut short by a high-pitched shriek. "That's Fiona! It's came from my room!" Jen and James rushed towards the bedroom. James nodded and on the count of three they opened the door.

Fiona was furiously lip-locked with a tall, broad-shouldered, shirtless man. They were lying on the bed. James and Jen stood in disbelief, slack-jawed. Fiona herself was also, partially clothed. Fiona just happened to open her eyes and look over to the door. She pulled away from the man and pushed him off her, literally. The man turned round and Jen knew immediately who it was, thanks to his crooked nose and scarred face.

"Fiona and….MARCUS!" Jen screamed. "GET OUT of my apartment!"

Marcus grabbed his shirt, and in a mode of extreme panic, he brushed past James and ran out to his own apartment, slamming the doors of both Jen's and his apartment very loudly. Fiona quickly put her jeans back on and fumbled to do the same with her tank top.

"Fiona Taylor, get out of my room!" Fiona had the look of a deer caught in a car's headlights on her face. She turned red as a tomato before she exited the room. She also passed James, her head held down. James thought she reminded him of a dog with her tail between her legs. James closed the door behind Fiona.

"All right, one of us needs to talk to her and I'm far too tired to do so." Jen said as she began taking the sheets off her bed. She did not want to sleep in sheets that Marcus had been on. The thought made her shudder. James sighed inwardly, taking of his jacket.

"I'll be back."

"Fiona?" James called.

"I'm here." A meek voice whispered.

"I really don't know how to say this but um…you do know who that guy was, right?"

"Well…I didn't know it was…I knew he lived in the same apartment building but…he said his name was Eric and…I never thought it could have been Marcus…I mean I barely recognise him now. He has that scar and short hair and a goatee. I hadn't seen him since Dakar and back then he was different looking." Fiona explained.

"Right…"

"And I mean, Jen has you and well…"

"It's all right Fiona, no need to explain any further. Just maybe you should have stayed in his apartment instead. And you know Jen is definitely going to have a talk with you tomorrow right?"

"Yeah…" Fiona sighed sadly, wiping a hot tear away from her eye.

"Don't cry, please?" James said softly. He really hated it when people cried. It made him feel awkward.

"I'll try not to." Fiona said with a small smile.

The next morning, Jennifer woke up, still tired and half-asleep. James was still snoring away, his face buried frontward into his pillow. Jen got out of bed, threw on her housecoat, and walked into the kitchen. Immediately she filled her kettle with water and turned the one burner on her stove on. Jen sat and stewed on one of her stools. She hated waking up. Suddenly, Jen heard a door open. Fiona walked across the kitchen from the bathroom. Jen gave her a glance. Fiona looked away and kept walking to the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"So did you finally succumb to Marcus' seductions or were you drunk? Or are you just plain stupid?"

"Jen, it was a mistake. I didn't recognise him from back in Dakar. I mean he didn't have the goatee, the hair, the scar…and well, if you haven't noticed any tech guys that I know are…well tech guys, and not one of them is attractive and…and I was lonely! I mean you have James…I had no one!" Fiona gasped. "And yes, I was a little drunk!" Fiona said as she stormed past Jen and left her apartment, slamming the door behind her. Jen was left sitting in silent shock, alone, with the kettle whistling behind her.


	12. The Beginning Of An End

CHAPTER 12:

Fiona continued into the hallway and instead of waiting for the elevator to arrive, she decided to take the twenty flights down to the bottom. She was so flustered; she nearly tripped down the stairs about three times on the way down. When she did finally reach the bottom, she had to stop to catch her breath. Fiona got her breath back and walked outside of the apartment building. She kept walking out towards the street when she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry." She muttered, keeping her head down still, not even bothering to look at the person.

"Hey, it's Fiona." Fiona stopped short and looked up. It was Marcus. He was smoking a cigarette, standing alone outside of the apartment complex.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." Fiona tried to keep walking past him, but Marcus grabbed her by the arm. "Hey! Let go of me!"

"Just wait a second." Marcus stomped out his cigarette on the ground. "Look, I shouldn't have lied about my identity, but I didn't want you to shove me off because of Mui's hatred towards me."

"She is my co-worker and friend. That…it was wrong on so many levels and I mean you're you and I…"

"You just can't say no to me, can you?" Marcus whispered with a smile. His straight white teeth shined brightly in the sunlight. Fiona blushed slightly.

"I really shouldn't be seen here with you, let alone talking to you." Fiona replied.

"So? What's Mui going to do you? Besides, knowing her, if she hasn't had her tea yet, she'll still be half-asleep."

"This feels so wrong, but at the same time….I know Jen's my friend and all, but…screw what she thinks! Who says she's in charge of what I want to do?" Fiona stood on her toes and her lips kissed Marcus'. After a few seconds, they pulled away from the other. She pulled away with guilt seeping into her gut, Fiona as much as her morals were telling her that this was wrong, she pushed the feeling away.

"So, I'd like to take you out tonight if you can go?" Marcus asked. Fiona looked around them. They were the only two standing outside.

"All right, I'll see what I can do."

James was just finishing his mug of coffee when Fiona finally returned.

"Where did you go?" He asked as sat down across the island counter from him.

"I went for a walk, you know, to calm down and think and what not." Fiona lied.

"I heard you two talking through the walls."

"Eh, whatever." Fiona replied, walking over to the living room. She began eagerly packing her things back into her duffle bags.

"Where are you going?" James was now slightly concerned. He got up and followed her as she furiously packed her things.

"I'm packing up and leaving to go to a hotel. I figure Jen and I need some space and besides, you two can be…alone." Fiona said, raising her eyebrows up and down.

"Have you told her yet?"  
"No, I was going to have you to do it for me."

"Tell me what?" Jen's well pronounced voice carried across the apartment. James froze in place. Fiona continued packing.

"Tell you that I'm leaving to go to a hotel." Fiona zipped up her duffle bags.

"Well then. James, if you'll excuse us." Jen said brushing past him to catch up to Fiona as she was walking out the door. "Look Fiona, I know you are not leaving simply because of us and our…er…fight. I know you better than that. Please, if you're really leaving for why I think you are, I'll tell you one thing: If you get too involved with him, it will ruin your life. You'll find yourself so in love that you won't realise how bad of a man Marcus truly is. If you're smart, you won't do it." Fiona stared back at Jen in cold silence at Jennifer. She sensed that Jen was probably right, but her inner anger overcame her right mind and she started walking towards the elevator.


	13. First Date

CHAPTER 13:

Fiona proceeded down the elevator to the bottom floor. She then flagged down a taxi and told the driver to take her to nearest hotel. He suggested a few, and Fiona told him to bring her to the best one. The driver shrugged and began driving east. About ten minutes later, the cabbie stopped in front of a grand looking hotel.

"Five pounds please."

"Right." Fiona grabbed the money and handed it to him. She gathered her bags and left the cab. She checked in at the hotel and got a room on the thirteenth floor. She set her bags down and immediately checked her phone. Marcus had left her his number in her contact list. She decided to give him a call and let him know, that she was now free to do as she pleased. She autodialed the number, and it began ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's..."

"Fiona. So I take it you're out on your own now?"

"Yes, I'm down at the five-star hotel on Watson Avenue. Room 1324."

"Oh…well, I'll pick you up at about….say 7:00pm?"

"That will be great. See you later."

"Bye love." Marcus hung up. Fiona then returned to her bags and realised she didn't bother to bring anything that was acceptable to wear on a first date. Fiona then decided to go on a mini-shopping trip. She figured six hours was enough to find something and to get ready. She called another cab and off she went to downtown London on a shopping trip.

"Jen…please stop paci-..."

"It's not that I wouldn't mind her going out with some bloke but not Marcus Dane, ANYONE but him. He's just…" Jen kept pacing in front of James, back and forth, back and forth.

"What's so bad about him?" James asked worriedly. He never really had seen Jennifer worried and if he had, he'd never seen it until now.

"He's…well, he's quite physically abusive. He doesn't seem like it right away but after while if things do not go the way he planned it to, he goes ballistic. It probably doesn't help that he used to do steroids." Jen sighed, putting her hair back behind her right ear.

"Oh….and you did not tell Fiona about this because?"

"I did warn her…sort of. I wasn't very specific though. God, the poor girl doesn't know what she's in for." Jen buried her face in her hands. "What have I done?"

Fiona returned to the hotel after successfully finding that perfect 'little black dress'. It was knee-length, strapless, and had a belted waist, complete with a rhinestone studded belt. She was hoping Marcus would also be dressed up to match. She quickly changed into her outfit and tried to fix her short hair. She looked in the mirror and frowned. She decided to curl it the best she could with the crap curling iron she owned. After while, her hair managed to stay in place, along with a bit of hairspray to help the cause. Fiona looked in the shopping bags she had and grabbed the black pair of heels she bought for the occasion. She also grabbed the little handbag that she purchased to match the dress. She checked the time. It was now 6:54pm. Fiona locked the door behind her and proceeded downstairs to the lobby. When she walked out of the elevator, she looked towards the front door and sure enough, Marcus was standing there. He was dressed up in a dark suit, with dark black trousers. His hair was gelled up slightly and he was carrying a bouquet of roses in his hand.

"Right on time." Fiona said as she reached for his arm.

"You look lovely. These are for you." Marcus handed Fiona the flowers. She smiled as they began walking out of the hotel.

"Thanks. So, where are we off to?" Fiona asked. Marcus looked down at her with a grin.

"Well I was thinking out to dinner at a little steak house on the River Thames."

"Great." Fiona replied. Marcus took out his car keys, and unlocked the doors to a navy BMW 320i. He opened the door for Fiona and she got into it.

Jen was still pacing by the phone. "I think they're out on a date or something."

"So? He can't do anything to her in public, can he?" James reassured her.

"Still, it is Marcus Dane. I'm just waiting for her to call me and for her to say that she's been attacked and is bleeding out in a sketchy alleyway or something."

"Jen?" James stood up, blocking her path of pacing. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly to his chest. "She's tough; she'll be able to handle herself." Jen closed her eyes as she rested her head on James' broad shoulder.

"I hope you are right."


	14. Finding The Wheelman

CHAPTER 14:

"That was….wonderful." Fiona said as she got out of Marcus' car.

"So, I'll take you up to your room, if I may?"  
"Of course. If I lived here, you'd take me to the front door, so what makes a hotel room any different?"

"True, although, with a hotel room, there's more of a chance of…"

"What do you mean?"

"Er…never mind. I'm a little tired; sometimes my words don't make sense."

"Right…" Fiona raised her eyebrows. The elevator made a ding and they boarded it. Unfortunately, it was a rather slow elevator and the time seemed to be passing very slowly.

"I have this urge to kiss you on this elevator." Marcus said, watching the floor numbers gradually go up. Fiona looked at him and he looked back.

"We still have ten floors to go…" Fiona said, taking a step closer to Marcus.

"Well then um…" Marcus stammered awkwardly. Fiona turned round and faced him. She closed her eyes and sure enough their lips met in a kiss. Fiona entwined her arms around Marcus and pulled him even closer. They remained making out in the elevator until the doors opened on the thirteenth floor. Fiona pulled away, breathless, but with a grand smile on her face. Fiona walked off the elevator and towards her room. As she fumbled around in her purse for her room key, Marcus walked up behind her and reached around her waist. Fiona stopped fumbling for a moment and the hall was silent.

"Am I allowed to do more than kiss you on the elevator?" Marcus whispered into her ear.

"Depends on what you mean by….more?" Fiona squirmed as Marcus reached around her hips in an attempt to unbuckle her belt. She reached down to pull his hands away when he spun her around so that she was facing him in his arms. "Oh! That kind of… 'more'… er…well I suppose we…" Fiona stopped short as she realised Marcus had gotten the room key and had already opened it. Fiona smiled nervously as they slowly moved into the room. Marcus smiled back as he eagerly closed the door behind them.

James was sitting, half watching the television half reading the news paper. He turned the page and a blue piece of paper fell out. It was the so called 'fan poem' Jen had received a few days ago. James read it quietly to himself. Suddenly the news caster started telling the audience that there was a new breaking news story.  
'_Police have been in pursuit of a speeding driver for over an hour down London's highways. Fortunately no has been hurt in this chase as of yet. The driver is a white male; the car is an Aston Martin DB9 and license plate RC316R…'_

James looked down at the poem "_And if you need me, just remember_

_316R"_ James felt that this was no coincidence considering this guy considered himself a wheelman who lives in his car.

"Ah, Jen? You might want to look at this." James called out. Jen walked into the kitchen from her room.

"What?" James handed her the poem. "Oh that thing, it's just fan-…" James pointed to the television. Jen watched the chase scenes and saw the license plate. "Coincidence, I think not. Well…I think I should go find this guy."

"Whoa, you're not seriously considering tracking a wanted criminal down are you?"

"Now that Fiona's gone, I mean…I think this guy is out to help me. I don't know why, again, call it women's intuition but I think I should go talk to him." Jen grabbed her wallet and jacket. James stood up, blocking the doorway.

"Jen, seriously, I think you're setting yourself up to be caught in another dangerous situation." James said apprehensively.

"James, I love you very much but you're not being very helpful at the present and…" Jen stepped forward and they kissed. As Jen moved her hand up his arm, she gave him the sleeper grab. James started dropping to the floor. Jen slowly let him fall to the floor. "Sorry love." Jen whispered to a now sleeping James. She walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her. She went on her IPhone in the elevator and typed in the address of 316R and found an apartment building in northern central London. Jen knew that part of town was a little on the sketchy side. So she figured this guy she was trying to find, was also, sketchy.

When Jen finally arrived, it was just starting to get dark. She parked her Mini at the side of the road and walked over to the apartment complex. She walked down the side until she found 316R. She looked around. There was no sign of anyone around. Jen felt the cold metal of her pistol against her leg inside her boot. It reminded her if anything did happen, she could easily shoot a bullet into someone if need be. She walked up to the door of 316R and knocked. The door had been left open and it swung back to reveal a very clean and nice looking apartment. It had a small kitchen and one bathroom and one bedroom. Jen curiously looked around. She figured that this guy either was a clean freak or he had OCD of some sort that made him leave everything in a perfect place at all times. She continued through the rooms, and at last she reached the bedroom. She peered around the corner to not find a bed, but walls lined with various guns, grenades, and RPGs. She looked around and around, still in shock at the amount of weaponry before her. She looked closely at one gun; it had Russian writing over the stock. _Hmm…so this guy has Russian connections…maybe I shouldn't be here…_Jen thought. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder. She immediately jumped and turned round, throwing a punch. She felt it hit a soft surface. She sent a man to the floor with a punch to the stomach. He was thin and lanky but tall.

"OW, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" The man yelled, holding his sides.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Jen yelled back, in just as much shock as he was.

"Cooper. The wheelman. You know who sent you the letter…"

"Ah so it is you. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?"

"Well er…I've heard that you don't work for ExOps anymore and also, my main thing is that…um…the guy who jumped out of your apartment…well I know him AND who hired him to be hired out to people for a hit man."

"Oh….say no more Cooper. Ah…shall we go to my place?" Jen said awkwardly.

"All right." Cooper eagerly agreed, following Jen out the door. He locked it.

"But first things first: I need to eat something, I'm absolutely starving." Jen said, just as her stomach growled in agreement.

"I can tell." Cooper chuckled, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "What do you drive?"

"Er…a '97 Mini." Jen continued walking down the street towards her car.

"That one? With the flag on it?"

"Yep, that's the one." Jen said, inserting her keys into the lock. She let Cooper in on the left hand side. Somehow, Jen felt that she could trust him. He wanted to help her and besides, he had information on Labuzov. She knew she made a right choice to find Cooper.


	15. The Talented Mr Cooper

_A.N.: Used Line Breaks to divide my paragraphs as the spaces were not working properly. _

CHAPTER 15:

"So, as you were saying…" James suddenly woke up. He was on the tiled floor of Jen's kitchen, towards the front door. It was now dark outside, and he could hear Jen and another man's voice talking in the living room. Then his memory flooded back to him from before he blacked out. He remembered putting up a fight of not letting Jen go out to find some guy and then she leaned in and kissed him and then it was black. James got up off the floor and headed to the living room. The man was sitting across from Jen. He had a thin muscular build, short brown hair and a dimpled chin.

"Jennifer?" He said unclearly.

"Ah, James, I see you finally…er…woke up. I'm sorry I had to do that, but you have to remember, that I make decisions on my own and well, you got in the way." Jen said apologetically. "Anyhow, James this is Cooper, Cooper this is James."

"Hello." Cooper held out his hand. James shook it and sat down next to Jen.

"So, Cooper here was just explaining to me that he knew who Vladimir Labuzov was. In fact…"

"I knew the people he worked for. They tried to kill me, my father, my mother, my sister…the list goes on."

"Why?" James asked.

"Why? Well I had some…er….connections and they turned sour. So, the Russian mafia wanted to get rid of me, Stalin style."

"Ah, so you're out to get back at them then?"

"See, it's only a few select members. I'm still buddies with lots of good ones."

"I understand. So, what are you specialised in? I mean…" James stammered.

"I'm a wheelman. I drive cars, I can steal them, and for the most part, I race."

"Oh…" Jen said.

"Prove it." James said, standing up.

"Now? James, are you sure? It's kind of late…" Jen asked.

"Yeah, it's all right Mui, I'm cool with it." Cooper replied. Jen shrugged to herself as the two men who didn't know each other left the apartment.

* * *

"Wow." Fiona said, catching her breath. "Wow."

"Mmm." Marcus mumbled in reply. "It's worth it, right? Worth not working with Mui?"

"Yes, so worth it." Fiona smiled. Marcus rolled over, twisting the white bed sheets around himself, leaned over, and gave Fiona another kiss.

"Well I should get going." Marcus said, getting out of Fiona's hotel bed. Fiona caught herself staring at him, and she averted her gaze.

"Do you have to go?" She whispered.

"Unfortunately, I do. There's a curfew at the apartment building; they don't let anyone in after two in the morning until five. Apparently, it's to prevent serial killers and rapists from getting in. It's nearly quarter after one, I should be safe."

"Fine." Fiona sighed longingly. "So when do you want to go…"

"Let's say Friday, all right?" Marcus replied, now fully dressed, waiting anxiously at the door to leave.

"Sounds…great." Fiona said with a grin. Marcus smiled back as he opened the door and let it close behind him. He waited until it clicked before he stood, waiting for the elevator. He hadn't felt this good about a relationship since Dakar and his fling with Mui. He felt, in a sense, renewed, like he was a new man, with all his pasts put behind him.

* * *

James and Cooper walked outside to the parking garage.

"All right James, pick a car."

"Huh?"

"Pick one, anyone will suffice."

"How about the little Peugeot in the corner?" James pointed.

"Good enough." Cooper said, fast approaching the little blue car. He dug around in the pockets of his jeans and fished out a little ring with several devices on it. He went to the driver's side, and carefully inserted a long wire overtop of where the window was. He pushed it down until it hit the unlock button. He then opened the door and sat himself inside. James looked around nervously. The engine then roared to life and James turned back round.

"That was easy." James was astonished that Cooper could break into a car so easily.

"That was nothing." Cooper said, killing the car engine, locking the doors and leaving it as it was before they had arrived. He kept walking farther down the garage until he spotted a nicer vehicle. It was an Aston Martin, similar to his own.

"Er…are you sure you can handle that one Cooper?"

"Yes." Cooper replied, pulling another little gadget out from his pocket. It looked like a regular car key remote.

"What's that?"

"Watch." Cooper replied, hitting a button. To James, nothing happened. Or so it seemed. Cooper then walked over to the car, and proceeded to pick the lock open without a car alarm going off.

"What did that thing do?"

"It's a mini EMP; it cuts out any electronics in a radius of 2.5 metres. Including car alarms." Cooper then pulled the door shut and stood next to James. "Did I pass your inspection sir?"

"Well, I definitely think you'll be of use to us. Sorry if I seemed a little er…distant or distrusting." James apologised. The two of them started walking quickly back to the apartment building.

"Nah, that's all right." Cooper replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Can I ask you something though?"  
"Yes?" James looked to his right at Cooper.

"Why do you get to call Mui by her first name?" James took in a deep breath, hiding the smile that was sure to follow.

"We are…we're together…you know _together-together…_"

"Ah, I see." Cooper replied with a nod as the pair re-entered the elevator of the building. The elevator quickly went up to the top of the building. Suddenly, as the doors opened, they bumped into Marcus Dane getting off the other elevator.

* * *

"Bastard, watch where you're walking." Marcus muttered.

"I see that broken nose of yours healed up." James replied.

"I see you're not confined to a hospital bed any longer." Marcus hissed. James stood in front of the big man. This time, he could take him if he wanted easily, and Cooper was there to help if needed.

"And I'm still with Jen." James smirked. Marcus narrowed his eyes.

"Ah whatever, you wanker!" Marcus started to walk past James. James blocked his way.

"I'm a wanker eh? What? You think that just because I'm an American that I don't know what that means? Trust me, I know. Helps that I have a British girlfriend."

"Boy, you better shut up before I make you shut up!" Marcus growled.

"Boy? I'm as much of a man as you, in fact, more so, considering she chose me over you."

"Do you honestly think I'm still tied up about her? Really? I'm banging the Aussie girl I hope you know." Marcus argued with a smirk. James stood back, shaking his head at Marcus.

"What a mistake she's making." James muttered. Marcus' face turned into a scowl.

"Shove off." Marcus said, pushing James out of his way. Cooper and James waited until Marcus' door fell shut, the sound of the lock clicking echoed in the empty hallway.

"Um…who was that?" Cooper asked curiously.

"Marcus Dane…he used to know Jen and well…we got into a fight and he hates me and currently I hate him. And now, as he says, he's 'dating' Fiona, our tech support. And she chose that guy over working with us. So she moved out because Jen would never let Marcus anywhere near her or me. So Fiona left."

"Ah." Cooper replied.

"Yeah, anyway, don't bring it up to Jen, it's a touchy subject."

"I promise I won't."

"Good."


	16. Three NotSoLittle Words

CHAPTER 16:

"Come on Fiona! Answer your phone for Chri-"

_"Hi, you've reached Fiona Taylor, support operative and treasurer of…"_ Jen hung up her phone before the voicemail was complete. It was 1:45 AM and Jen was worried, especially since James told her about his little confrontation with Marcus in the hallway.

"She's not answering."

"Maybe she's, you know, sleeping?"  
"Well….I don't know, normally she's practically nocturnal. She's got to be really tired but from what?"

"I believe she was with Marcus out on a…"

"Ugh…don't make me think…ew. I'm just worried, all right?"

"I can tell." James replied keeping his eyes closed. Jen had woken up about ten minutes after James had crawled into bed. She had been raving on for a good ten minutes to James, trying over and over to call Fiona.

"What if she's hurt or something? Or what if he tried to…you know…er…"

"Jennifer, you're putting bad thoughts out there. Maybe she's just fine. Maybe she had a great night with the guy. Just…"

"It's Marcus Dane, the most physically abusive bastard on this side of the Atlantic and you think Fiona's fine?"

"If you're so worried, why don't you go to her hotel in the morning?"

"I could, if I knew which one it was. But again, if she's hurt, she won't be there to answer the door."

"She will be fine. I'm sure she would have called you already if something was wrong."

"I guess you're right." Jen sighed. "OH! I have a text message." Jen said, excitedly clicking the prompt on her IPhone to open the message.

"_Look, you can stop calling me anytime. I'm fine, trust me. I don't know what's so bad about Marcus. He's great. Whatever, your loss. -Fiona-"_

"Well then, she's fine if she's showing off her attitude problem."

"How?" James asked. "It's a text message."

"Just…never mind." She sighed, setting her phone down on the bedside table.

"I'm going back to sleep." James whispered with a yawn.

"Not before I kiss you goodnight." Jen whispered back, leaning over towards James. He opened his eyes and looked over at Jen, flashing a smile.

"I…I love you." James had said it: The three biggest words in a relationship. He felt a wave of relief hit him. Jen smiled greatly and leaned in close to his face. She whispered sweetly into his ear, "I love you too."


	17. And The Truth Comes Out

CHAPTER 17:

"So, Marcus, where are we off to tonight?" Fiona asked as she sat down in the passenger seat of his car.

"I wasn't too sure, but I was thinking dinner and a movie of sorts?"

"Great." Fiona smiled. "Let's see, what about the new Avatar movie? You know, the second on in the trilogy?"

"Sounds good." Marcus replied, putting the car into gear. He started driving towards the nearest movie theatre with a restaurant close by. "So, have you spoken to Mui at all?"

"No and I'd prefer not to. Although, she tries to keep contacting me, I just need space away from her."

"I believe I've turned you to the _dark side_…"

"Ha! Well, yes, in a way, you have."

"You are here with me, that's all that matters." Marcus said, pulling into a parking lot. Fiona smiled as he pulled into an empty space and put the car into park, turning off the engine and putting the keys into his pocket. He put on the parking brake and looked over at Fiona. She leaned towards him, staring into his blue eyes. She closed her eyes at the very last second before their lips touched. Suddenly, both front doors were opened and Fiona felt herself being grabbed and pulled out.

"HEY! Help! Someone help me!" She screamed.

"Be quiet and we won't kill you." A man's deep voice mumbled. He had a thick Russian accent. Fiona fell silent. "Now, both of you walk with us like we are all going out to dinner together." Fiona and Marcus began walking in between a group of five men. Fiona felt sweat building up on the back of her neck and on her temples. They followed the guy who seemed to be in charge. He was dressed up in a dark coat with a matching hat on his head. The others were similarly dressed. They kept walking until they entered a pub. They were led to a booth and Fiona and Marcus sat across from each other. They were surrounded by the wall on the one side and two guys on the other. Marcus and Fiona were trapped.

* * *

"All right Mr. Dane, we understand we have made a slight mistake. Labuzov did not realise that there was no balcony beneath the window. He had been trained in many ways of escape. If necessary, jumping out windows was an option, as long as there was something to catch him. In this case, there wasn't." Fiona had a sudden realisation that hit her like a train

"Right...er..." Marcus was feeling hot under the collar.

"Now as far as we know, she is still alive. Would like us to send in another hit man?"

"Um…" Marcus glanced over at Fiona. Fiona was in complete shock. She felt sick to her stomach and she felt like her heart was in her throat. Fiona was mad at Jen, yes, but she could never hate Jen so much that she would go out and hire a hit man to kill her. Fiona looked Marcus dead in the eyes, daring him to say yes.

"Well, Mister Dane?" The head honcho looked down from the head of the table at Marcus.

"Listen, I need some time to think about this."

"DAMN RIGHT YOU DO!" Fiona shouted, as she rose up from her seat, throwing her glass of water at him.

"Hey! HEY! Keep it down lady." One of the mobsters beside her made her take her seat again.

"Let me go, I had no idea about any of this. Nor did I know that YOU were the one who was trying to have my best friend killed!" The two men beside Fiona quickly got out of their seats and allowed Fiona to leave.

"Listen guys, I'll…meet me at my place in an hour, all right?" Marcus said edgily.

"Fine. Take control of your woman eh?"

"Right." Marcus said briefly. The Russians allowed him to leave. Marcus began running after Fiona.

* * *

Fiona had not gotten very far when Marcus and his long stride caught up.

"Fiona! Stop, please!"

"You BASTARD! Get away from me!" Marcus reached forward and grabbed her around her shoulders.

"You wouldn't understand, it's difficult!"

"How could trying to _murder_ my best friend be difficult to understand?" Fiona tried pulling away out of his hands, but before she knew it, a fist made contact with her head over and over again, and shortly afterwards, Fiona blacked out.

* * *

"Well, I haven't had any more hits on Labuzov since Fiona left." Jen said to James and Cooper from across the table. She sighed at her laptop, closing the top.

"If it's any compensation, I think I can point out the guys who hired them if I saw them." Cooper said, trying to help.

"If we see them, they'll be trying to kill us." James inputted, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"He's right Cooper." Jen sipped on her beer. She wasn't a big drinker, but because of her worries about Fiona, she decided she needed something to calm her down. "I'm still worried about Fiona. I know Marcus is probably up to something. I know it."


	18. Fiona's Salvation

CHAPTER 18:

Fiona was in a daze. She couldn't tell where she was at first. Her vision was blurry with blood. She was laying down on a flat, carpeted surface. The rough fibres made her skin itch. She could hear her heart pounding in her head, pulsating over and over again. She heard muffled voices coming from the far left, outside of where she was. When her vision finally cleared, she realised she was on the floor of Marcus' bedroom. The door was slightly ajar.

"I told you, I would pay you after she's dead!"

"Mister Dane, you know we don't work like that."

"I've already paid you half of the money…"

Fiona managed to look up o the bed. Marcus had left his Desert Eagle pistol in its holster. Fiona reached for it.

"NO! You pay us in full for Labuzov and then we shall send in another man at twenty percent less of a price."

"Twenty percent less? Are you mad? That's far too much for what I had to pay you already for Labuzov!"

Fiona pulled herself forward inch by inch and grabbed the gun. It had some fresh blood staining the handle. She figured it was her own. Fortunately, the gun had one clip left in it. Fiona knew she had to make another choice; the right one this time.

* * *

Fiona blacked out again. When she awoke once more, she heard Marcus yelling at the mobsters "ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will not pay you until she is dead and cold and buried in the ground! UNDERSTAND?" Fiona crawled the best she could towards the door. Her breathing intensified with every inch. Blood dripped in front of her eyes. She used the back of her left hand to wipe it away. It left red smears all over her fingers. She took in a deep breath as she pulled the door open. While doing that, she cocked the gun as quietly as she could. Luckily, the men were still ranting on and did not look towards her. When the door was fully opened, Fiona saw Marcus five feet ahead of her, with his back facing her.

"Marcus?" Fiona croaked out. He turned around and before he could realise what was happening, Fiona pulled the trigger.


	19. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

CHAPTER 19:

~Marcus saw the bullet come spiralling towards him before he could blink~

A body dropped to the floor in a bloody matter. The mobsters had ducked and covered behind various objects when the gun fired. The head man looked up over the couch when everything went quiet.

"All of you leave and I won't shoot any of you." The men looked at each other for a bit and then at the bloody and bruised woman with a smoking .50 cal pistol in her hands. They decided to take her warning and leave at a run, grabbing Marcus' envelope of money he left out on the table. Fiona crawled past Marcus' lifeless body without a hint of remorse. She set the gun down, in his still warm fingers. She avoided the blood and bits of brain matter and kept crawling towards the front door. Eventually, she made it to the hallway. She kept pushing herself towards Jen's door, occasionally going in and out of consciousness. The door in reality was only a mere ten feet away but in Fiona's semi-comatose mind; it felt as if it was an eternity away. Fifteen minutes later, she at last reached the door. Out of breath, she knocked as hard as she could.

"Please….help…me…."

* * *

Jennifer heard a slight knock at her door. She wondered why they weren't using the doorbell like normal people did. When she pulled it open, she saw no one standing at her doorstep. She looked down the hallway, still to see no one. She was about to turn away when she felt something grab her ankle. She looked down to see Fiona, covered in blood and bruises sprawled out in front of her.

"Oh Fiona! Holy mother of God! James! Cooper! I need help!" The two men came rushing to the door to see Fiona.

"Shit." Cooper muttered. He grabbed his keys off the counter.

"Fiona, can you hear me?" James said, kneeling down beside her. He got no response. "Fiona!" Suddenly, her blue eyes opened.

"Jen…they're out to kill you still. We…have to…go." Fiona was barely audible. Cooper ran into Jen's room and pulled a bed sheet out of her closet. He ran back into the front room and with James' help he shifted her onto the sheet. Cooper and James then lifted Fiona gently. Jen ran ahead of the two men to the elevator. Eventually they made it down and Cooper ran to his car and sped back over to the front laneway of the building. James and Jen carefully set Fiona down in the back. James sat shot gun and Jen sat next to Fiona. She barely closed the door before Cooper put his foot on the pedal and drove off back towards St. Mary's hospital.

"No, Cooper, don't go to St. Mary's…it's too close, they'll find me. Go to the north, towards St. Joseph's." Jen said. Cooper quickly added it to his GPS while they were at a red light. He looked in his rear-view mirror. There was a black Cadillac following him. Then he saw it: the black barrel of a machine gun sticking out of the passenger side window.

"Jen, get down!" Cooper yelled. "All of you get down!"

"What? Why?"  
"The mob's following us!"

"Bloody Hell!" Jen yelled, as the first shot was fired. She ducked down below the seat on the floor, making sure Fiona was in a steady position. Cooper grabbed the wheel even tighter as he prepared himself to get the hell out of the area without any one getting shot. James had meanwhile gotten down on the floor.

"You can do this Cooper." He said. Cooper nodded and accelerated the car. He swerved in and out of lanes, just barely avoiding other cars. The mobster's car got stuck behind a large truck and had no room to pass thanks to a mini-van only going forty-five kilometres per hour. Cooper then took a back road and skipped across town. Eventually, the mafia men lost track of them.

* * *

"Oh Fiona, I wish I had warned you about him. Please forgive me…don't die on me whatever you do." Jen felt a hot tear stream down her face. Fiona looked up at Jen.

"I'll try not to. As much as I wanted to hate you, you were right and I should have listened and I…" Fiona suddenly started shaking. Her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Shit! She's seizing!" Jen grabbed part of the sheet she was on, ripped it off, and put it in Fiona's mouth to prevent her from swallowing her own tongue. Fiona's body shook uncontrollably and Jen was trying her hardest to keep her head still. James turned back, not knowing what he could do from the front seat of the car. But finally after two minutes, Fiona stopped seizing. Jen sighed. She knew Fiona was still in trouble if they didn't make it to the hospital soon. Jen had started weeping softly. Fiona's almost lifeless body was barely hanging on.

"We're almost there." Cooper pointed out. James turned around in his seat once more after hearing no reply from Fiona or Jennifer. Jen was sitting over Fiona, tears dripping down her face.

"Jen? She'll make it. We're almost at the ER door, come on." James said. Meanwhile, Cooper had already stopped the car and ran in to get help and explain the situation. Cooper came out about forty seconds later with a nurse and two interns pulling a stretcher behind them. Jen and James loaded the unconscious form of Fiona onto the stretcher. The nurse and the two young doctors ran the wheeled stretcher inside.

"What did you tell them Cooper?" Jen asked quietly through her tears.

"I said her ex decided to get violent, and that we went here instead of waiting for an ambulance because he's crazy and was going to come after us."

"Oh, well…unfortunately it's true for the most part." Jen whispered as the three of them found seats in the waiting room. James sat between Jen and Cooper. Jen leaned her head on James' shoulder and broke down into quiet tears again. James wrapped his arm around her, trying to calm her down. Jen finally stopped her crying and closed her eyes. She had nothing left to do but wait and hope that Fiona would come out of surgery alive.

* * *

Hours had past and the trio had not heard a word about Fiona from anyone. Jen had slept here and there as she was utterly exhausted from the waiting and the worry. James hadn't been able to sleep whatsoever. Cooper had occasionally gotten up and walked around the various parts of the hospital to stretch his legs at different times in the night. Cooper was just returning from another one of his walks. He was about to walk into the waiting room when he saw a doctor and intern in scrubs talking to Jennifer and James. Cooper was separated from them by a door and he could not hear what they were saying. But he judged it was something bad when Jen started bawling again and burying her face into James' chest. Cooper rushed into the room.

"What's going on?" He gasped. Jen was crying so loudly that she was barely comprehendible.

"Fiona is…."


	20. Comfortably Comatose

CHAPTER 20:

"Your friend Fiona is in a coma. She had what's called Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, or in plain English, bleeding of the brain from the head injuries she sustained. We were lucky to stop the bleeding, but because of the seizure and the constant going in and out of consciousness, she finally slipped into full comatose state. We do not know if she is going to wake up, and even if she does, we don't know how long it will take."

"Ah…" Cooper breathed. He was only slightly relieved. He thought _'At least she's not dead.'_

"If you would like, you three can visit her."

"Please." Jen mumbled.

* * *

The doctor led them to the intensive care wing and showed them to Fiona's room. He gave James a nod and went off to check on his other patients. Jen walked cautiously towards the room, pulling the handle of the door open. She saw Fiona lying motionless in her bed. Her head was bandaged and she was hooked to several different machines. The constant 'breathing' of one of the machines gave Jen goose bumps. She felt like she was in a morgue. She felt cold and she sensed that death seemed to be lurking around the corner, waiting to take Fiona away from the world. Jen walked over to the bed. Fiona looked so peaceful and yet so ravaged by violence. It made Jen want to cry then and there for the umpteenth time in the past twenty-four hours. She pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down. She took in a deep breath and breathed it out slowly. She reached down for her friend's limp hand.

"Fiona, I know you may not be able to hear me, but…if you can somehow…I wanted to say how sorry I am. It's my fault that you are like this. If I had just said in the first place that he was violent beyond all means, then we'd still be sitting in my apartment by now, drinking tea and what not. But no. You're stuck in a coma because of Marcus beating you so badly; your brain was bleeding internally." Jen paused to wipe away the few tears that had accumulated while she was talking. The noises the machines made now had become a distant buzz in Jen's ears. They ceased to bother her now. "Please, do not die. If you do, I will forever be plagued with the guilt and…I don't think I'd like to live the rest of my life like that. So please, please wake up." Jen returned to sobbing once more. She set down Fiona's hand and buried her face in her arms, leaning next to Fiona.

* * *

James and Cooper had stood outside the room, waiting for Jen to finish talking to Fiona. They had remained silent. James did not know what to say, or what to think. Cooper felt the same way. The two men had taken seats on the floor, leaning up against the wall. James had occasionally gotten up and looked through the window in the door to see if Jen was done. The third time he had done this, he saw Jen sobbing again.

"Cooper, I'm going in…"

"All right. Look, I'll…I'll stay out here, leave you two to talk." James nodded as he entered the room. Jen looked up. Her eyes were red from crying and she had an overall dishevelled look about her. "Jennifer?" James whispered as he stood over her and Fiona. Jen stood up and James immediately embraced her as tight as he possibly could without hurting her. "It will be all right, everything may seem like it's not going to be, but it will. It always does in the long run." James said in an attempt to comfort Jen. He felt her nod. He stroked her hair softly and then he moved his hand down to her neck. She pulled her head away from his chest, still remaining in his arms.

"I'm so tired." Jen whispered. James looked over her shoulder to see what looked like a couch. He figured it would work as a substitute for a bed. He gently guided Jen towards the back of the room where the couch was. He then sat down, pulling Jen with him. She curled up next to him, resting her head on his lap. There she fell sound asleep, praying that Fiona would wake up from her eternal sleep.


	21. Temporary Distraction

CHAPTER 21:

Days past and still, there had been no response from Fiona. Jen sat there and sat there, never leaving her side for the fear that she would miss Fiona waking up and lose the opportunity to tell her how sorry she was. Jen had also figured that Marcus would have fled the country after what he did. Jen swore to herself that if she ever saw Marcus Dane alive, again, she would personally castrate him. James tried many a time to get Jen to go back to her apartment, but she silently refused to leave.

"Jen?" James whispered. Jen had fallen asleep sitting up in her chair. "Jen?" He called out softly. Jen was still asleep. James took a step forward and gently, he reached his arms around her and carefully lifted her up. She still did not wake up. James smiled as he carefully walked past Cooper. Cooper nodded back and took a seat on the couch thing in Fiona's room. James kept walking until he found Cooper's car in the parking lot. He fiddled with the keys and finally it unlocked. He set the still sleeping Jen down in the front seat, buckled her in, and then sat himself down in the driver's side.

Twenty minutes had past and still, Jen was sound asleep, her head leaning down on the side of the door. James pulled up to the parking garage and parked in the first space he could find. He carried Jen out of the car and eventually he made his way into her apartment and he set her down on her bed, tucking her in. He laid down beside her and decided to have a nap as well.

* * *

"James? How the hell did I get here?" James opened his eyes to see Jen staring down at him.

"I brought you here. You were completely and utterly exhausted from spending all this time in the hospital and you needed to come home."

"James! She could be awake right now, and I'm not there!"

"Jen…" James reached over and grabbed her arm. "As much as I want her to wake up, things aren't looking so good. And soon enough, you may need to realise the fact that she might not wake up."

"Please, don't…." Jen wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"Anyway, I figured you could use a break from the hospital."

"Oh James. I…I really shouldn't be away from…" James suddenly pulled her arm forward, and as she semi-fell forward, he kissed her. He snaked his arms around Jen and pulled her on top of him. Jen pulled back slowly, her and James' lips hardly wanting to separate. "I'm not honestly in the so-called 'mood' for that, if that's what you're after."

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be. I just wanted to spend time with you." James replied, staring Jen straight in the eyes.

"However…I …ah, what the hell? What could it hurt?" Jen whispered, slowly taking off her shirt, throwing it to the floor. James winked at her. Jen smiled back, gradually leaning down and kissing his lips softly. James slowly played his hands through her straight hair, feeling his hands down her bare back, his fingers catching on her bra. Jen gently held James' face in her hands as she kissed him. She slowly pulled away for a second to catch her breath. James felt his heart racing inside his chest. "James, you know meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you, that was far beyond my control."


	22. As Time Goes On

CHAPTER 22:

James woke up, lying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Sunlight was beginning to enter the room. He yawned and rolled over on his side, expecting Jen to still be asleep next to him. She wasn't there. Instead, there was a familiar, yellow sticky note.

_Gone to Hospital by cab…I love you, ~Jen~_

_

* * *

_

James sighed glumly. He had been hoping to wake up next to her and talk. James shook his head and got out of bed. He dressed himself and decided to go to the hospital right away.

"Well…I don't know, I guess it was a bit of a break, I suppose." Jen replied. Cooper shrugged. He wondered what James had had in mind when he took Jen home yesterday. Now he knew, and he didn't even have to ask as Jen straight up told him what they had been up to. Cooper figured it was bound to have happened.

"I see. The doctors came in earlier and checked on Fiona but they said nothing had changed. I don't know, but I think she might just be…"

"Be what?" Jen glared at Cooper straight in the eyes.

"In a possible vegetative state." He replied bluntly.

"Oh…" Jen looked back and forth between Cooper and Fiona. She had been turned onto her side by the nurses so she wouldn't get bed sores. Jen sighed. "I'm not giving up. And I realise that you don't know her, so you wouldn't understand and…" Jen stopped short when the door suddenly opened. James smile faded as he walked into the room. He sensed that Cooper and Jen had been arguing.

"Cooper." James greeted him calmly before standing next to Jen. Cooper smiled awkwardly and decided to leave the pair of them alone.

"I'm getting some breakfast, I'll be back."

"Right." James responded quietly. "You left early." He whispered to Jen.

"I know. I just…it was one thing being away from here, but I had to get back."

"Don't you think they would call you if anything happened?"  
"Yes but…things can change very quickly and who knows, maybe she'd wake up and then die and I'd never get to speak to her again." Jen reached down and grabbed James' hand and gave it a soft squeeze. He returned it gently. James hoped Fiona would make it, but he had his doubts eating away him from the inside.

* * *

_2 Weeks Later…_

"Jen, let's go get lunch in the cafeteria. Cooper can stay here and I'll bring him back something." James ordered. Jen sighed at him. She was perfectly content remaining in the room, reading her book. She set the novel down and followed James. Cooper then took a seat and began rooting through his own journal that he kept. He began writing about what had happened in the past two weeks, which was nothing more than Jen and James arguing, Fiona not doing anything and the feeling of helplessness when it came down to Fiona's recovery.

"James, I'm not hungry."

"Jen, you have to eat something or soon enough you'll be in a bed here for malnutrition."

"You don't understand…"

"What isn't there to understand? I get it: she's your best friend and because of a man who you knew had a history of being violent, she's in a coma. And you're beating yourself up about it because you feel guilty that you didn't give her full warning about him."

"I…" Jen stopped herself short. All she and James had been doing was arguing back and forth, trying to prove the same points over and over again. She sighed inwardly and began eating her lunch.

* * *

Cooper sat back in his chair, writing the last sentence of his entry in his journal. He was content with his entry and he sat his pen down on the table. When he looked over the paragraph, he looked over the top of his book to be staring straight into the deep blue eyes of the comatose woman on the bed.

"H-h-hey…you're the...guy…who…stole my car…in…V-V-Venezuela!"


	23. The Miracle Of Friendship

CHAPTER 23:

Cooper felt his own jaw drop and turn involuntarily pale. Fiona continued to stare at him accusingly. Cooper felt the sweat build up on his temples. Finally he snapped out of his trance.

"HEY! Doctor! She's awake!" Cooper ran out of the room. "Someone get me a doctor! Fiona Taylor's awake!"

* * *

After one of the doctors arrived, Cooper left to go get Jen and James from the cafeteria. He ran down the halls, just avoiding a collision with a nurse. He stopped, out of breath at the entrance to the food court area. He saw Jen and James canoodling in a booth at the back of the food court. Sighing, he hurried over to them

"Mui! James!" The couple looked up at him. "Fiona's awake!" Jen scrambled out of her seat and hurried off back to the room. James and Cooper followed.

After several doctors and nurses performed many tests on Fiona, they finally left the room and Jen was at last, alone with Fiona.

* * *

"Fiona, where to begin? I feel so guilt-ridden and…"

"Jennifer, I should have listened to your warning. I just felt like I wanted to go my own way, but I was so ticked off, nothing you could have said would have stopped me at that point."

"I should have said that he was abusive, maybe that would have gotten your attention. God, it's my entire fault." Jen broke down into tears again.

"Jen, please, the main thing is, is that I'm alive. All right? I forgive you. Do you forgive me?" Fiona said, barely holding back her own tears.

"Of course. Of course I'm forgiving you; I almost lost my best friend."

"It'll be all right Jen." Jen stood up from her chair to give Fiona a hug.

"Friends?"

"Friends."


	24. Fiona's Explanation

CHAPTER 24:

Jennifer smiled as she pulled away from Fiona's grasp. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong, muscular arms intertwine themselves around her waist from behind.

"So, are we all friends again?" James asked. Fiona winked up at him from underneath the bandage on her head.

"Good." Cooper then returned quietly into the room, sitting on the couch, far away from Fiona as possible.

"Don't think that I can't see you." Fiona chuckled at Cooper. Jen and James shared a confused look. "He stole my pink Camaro back when we were in Venezuela. I don't know why or how, but…"

"All right…okay, first things first, I'm a wheelman, I steal, fix and race cars for a living. So…I was hired by some guy to recover all these special edition makes of these Camaros from the 1960's. And yours happened to be one of them. So…yeah he paid me big time for the job…one million and upwards."

"Oh…um, well as far as I'm concerned, I think you 'owe' Fiona a car." James hinted. Cooper nodded along. Fiona smiled at him. She had never met the guy before, but she sensed he was a good man.

"All right, I'll 'buy' you one." Cooper hid his goofy grin. Fiona chuckled.

"Well, it really doesn't make a difference to me."

* * *

_One Month Later…_

Fiona was released with a clean bill of health. The doctors and nurses were still astounded that she had recovered, let alone so quickly. They had no explanation for it whatsoever. The four of them left the hospital with smiles on their faces. As they piled into Cooper's Aston Martin, Jen looked over at Fiona.

"Aren't you worried that Marcus might come back for you?"

"No. Not at all." James turned back from the front seat and raised his eyebrows disbelievingly.

"Why?" Jen asked.

"I'll tell you all when we get back home, all right?" Fiona hid her devious smile. Jen gave her an odd look, but said nothing. James simply shrugged and Cooper started the car.

"All right Fiona, time to explain your non-existing fear of the man who almost killed you." Jen said as she set down a plate of biscuits and the teapot. Fiona reached across the table and poured herself a cup of the hot liquid. She slowly sat back down in her chair. Her coordination was still a little bit off and she did not want to re-injure herself. She took a sip of her drink and set it down once more. Jen, James and Cooper were all sitting around, waiting for Fiona to talk.

"Well…when I was hurt, and practically bleeding out in his apartment, I knew I had to make a proper choice. So…I…um…took his pistol and shot him: square between the eyes. It was his Desert Eagle. And I vaguely remember his dead corpse bleeding out all over his kitchen floor and me leaving the gun in his hand." Jen choked on her tea. James and Cooper stared at Fiona, slack-jawed and in disbelief that someone who seemed like she could barely handle a gun, shot her now ex-boyfriend in the head.

"W-why?" Jen stammered, still recovering from choking on her tea.

"I found out that he was the one to hire Labuzov from the Mafia to kill you Jen. And, he was going to hire another hit man. So I took the chance because I realised that my best friend is more important than any man. We're all friends here, that's all that matters."


	25. Everything Changes

CHAPTER 25:

"Well…what do we do now?" Jen asked, taking a seat on her couch next to James. James put his arm over her shoulders, and she fell back into his grasp.

"It's up to you guys really. I drive, that's it." Cooper shrugged. He looked over at Fiona who was busy prodding away at her laptop. She bit her lip in concentration as she read over several different emails from clients willing to pay them for work.

"We could go to Columbia, looks like there's a big conflict over the drug rings." Jen threw a face. She really did not want to go back to South America, especially after Venezuela. "Or there's some work available in Serbia…looks like another conflict similar to Kosovo is happening. Serbian government is seeking private 'help'."

"Listen, I…" Jen paused. "Look I'll think about it over night."

"Okay then." Fiona replied, folding her laptop. She glanced across the living room at James and Jen. She sensed they wanted to be alone. "I'd hate to leave but, I'm going out for dinner. No offence Jen, but I'm kinda bored of your…um cooking."

"I'll second that." Cooper said, jumping down off his barstool.

"I never thought my cooking was _that_ bad, but if you insist. James, are you going with them?" James shook his head. He had wanted the other two to leave in the first place. Cooper waved to the pair as he and Fiona left, pulling the door shut behind them.

* * *

"So…you didn't go. Why?" Jen asked curiously.

"Isn't it obvious Jennifer?"

"No." Jen pouted. "What's up with you?" She said, pulling out of James' reach.

"Listen Jennifer, I know we've only known each other for a short time and we've been seeing each other for an even shorter period but…" James stood up off the couch. Jen gave him a peculiar look.

"James, what are you…" Jen stopped short as James kneeled down on the floor. He reached behind him, and pulled out a velvet covered box. Jen could barely breathe. James slowly opened the box and in it, was a gold ring, with several small diamonds on the top of it.

"Jennifer Mui, will you marry me?"


	26. Epilogue

EPILOGUE:

Jennifer was in complete shock. She had never expected James to propose, especially so soon. She felt her heart beating in her head, her lungs struggling for air. Her brain finally sent a message to her body to take in a breath. However, she was still speechless, with tiny tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Jennifer?" James looked up at the woman he loved, feeling confident that she would say yes to his proposal. He gazed deeply into her pretty eyes with all his heart, hoping that she loved him the same way he loved her.

* * *

_~Three Months Later~_

The warm Dominican breeze mixed in with the sounds of the waves of the ocean was one of the most soothing things she had ever felt. She had never known things could have turned out the way they did in all her life. It was a practical dream come true. From the first moment she met him, she never would have expected something great to come out of their partnership. Jennifer felt she was never more at peace than now, at a tropical beach, with a cold beer in her hand, lying on a hammock next to James Holt, her husband.


End file.
